Deadpool Review

Plot: After being tricked into undergoing dangerous medical treatment by a shady organisation, former mercenary Wade Wilson (Ryan Reynolds) discovers he has mutant powers. To his horror the transformation leaves him deformed, causing him to hide away from the love of his life. Wilson suits up and sets out on a path of revenge.

Whatever you think of superhero films, there’s no denying that in a saturated market a title like Deadpool needs to shake things up a bit to make an impact, and shake things up it does. At its core Deadpool is a superhero film set in Fox’s long-running X-Men universe, but on the surface this is an R-rated, violent comedy made to engage with an audience who are craving something new from the superhero genre. What we get is a mixed bag; a film that managed to nail the tone of the character, but within a bland and surprisingly familiar story. In one of its fourth wall gags Deadpool acknowledges and pokes fun at its titular character’s notoriously disappointing role in the franchise’s most poorly recieved entry X-Men Origins: Wolverine. With that in mind, it’s strange that a film so self aware then offers its audience a similarly flawed story, be it buried under a layer of witty quips and muddled within a non-linear narrative.

Plot aside, Deadpool is a funny film. I laughed throughout, enjoying the character’s engagement with the audience and the absurd scenarios that played out on screen. The fourth wall breaks, OTT action and quirky humour mostly works, with Reynolds’ showing off the merc with a mouth’s true potential as an engaging and charismatic screen presence. With the spotlight so focused its no surprise that the film’s other characters pale in comparison; a gritty love interest played by Morena Baccarin exists mainly to serve as the damzel in distress, whereas Ed Skrein’s Ajax is a completely uninteresting villain who’s very good at being evil and erm… fighting. Two B-list X-Men also feature in the film, although the franchise’s new timeline, the recast of Colossus (Stefan Kapicic/Greg LaSalle) and the films’ contrasting styles make it unclear where exactly Deadpool fits within the larger universe.

Verdict:

Deadpool’s revised introduction gives us a glimpse of the character’s potential, but witty quips and fourth wall breaks aside, this is a formulaic origin story that favours style over substance.

3/5

Ant-Man Review

Plot: Former superhero Hank Pym (Michael Douglas) seeks a new talent to keep his groundbreaking technology from getting into the wrong hands. After arranging an unconventional meeting with former thief Scott Lang (Paul Rudd), Pym and his daughter Hope (Evangeline Lily) train him to become the new Ant-Man. As Lang grapples with his new shrinking power, he must prepare himself the heist of a lifetime.

When you put Ant-Man under the magnifying glass, what you’ll find is a film with a near-perfect balance of action, drama and comedy. The latest addition to the Marvel Cinematic Universe is a cocktail of quality entertainment. What might surprise some is that it’s a stronger film than the latest Avengers flick which, whilst a lot of fun, felt overcrowded at points.

Ant-Man is a funny film, the title might sound ridiculous but its filmmakers make sure you’re laughing with them, not at them. The comedic timing is on point throughout, with Michael Pena being the most consistent comedian as Lang’s partner in crime, Luis. The action itself can be hilarious to, with Ant-Man’s shrinking power giving the film’s fight scenes a sense of freshness as well backdrops that are simply comedy gold.

Ant-Man isn’t just a great superhero film, it’s a great heist film. Marvel continues to fuse other genres into its vast universe, preventing the rollout of MCU blockbusters becoming too similar for their own good. Another welcomed consistency is Marvel’s knack for reintroducing lesser-known heroes as extremely likeable characters. Michael Douglas and Paul Rudd both do a great job at bringing humanity to both generations of Ant-Men. They each bring a strong sense of humanity to their roles, with Pym’s rocky relationship with his cold daughter Hope being a particular dramatic highlight. Unfortunately Corey Stoll serves little purpose but to strut around as a cold and calculated villain, but the suit fits and his character has a menacing presence that lends itself to the film’s most intense scenes. JC

Verdict:

A small hero with a big impact. He might not be as cool as Iron Man, as mighty as Thor or as weird as the Guardians, but Ant-Man is here to stay and the MCU is all the better for it.

5/5